Property developers who stand to gain from the Government’s planning reforms
have donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Conservatives since the
proposals were first published last summer.

Figures published by the electoral watchdog last night show that construction and property firms gave £510,000 to the party between July and December last year - more than £2,700 a day.

In the final quarter of 2011, developers gave more than £267,000 to the Tories – 9p in every pound - outstripping the £243,000 for the previous three months, according to the Electoral Commission’s figures.

Last night Labour criticised the figures and said they were evidence of the Tory party’s “unhealthy relationship” with developers.

Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, Shadow Minister for Planning told The Daily Telegraph: “These revelations clearly suggest that there may have been an unhealthy relationship between property developers and the Tory Government.

“The Government must come clean about these allegations and any undue influence these donors may have had in the drafting of the Coalition’s controversial National Planning Policy Framework.”

The increasing amounts being given to the Conservatives coincided with the publication of the controversial National Planning Policy Framework, which campaigners say will make it easier to build on parts of rural England.

The NPPF, which was published on July 25 last year has been heavily criticised for making it easier for developers to build on rural parts of England, and is being fought by campaigners. The Daily Telegraph is also urging ministers to rethink the reforms.

Groups including the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England are worried that the draft NPPF includes a new “presumption in favour of sustainable development”, and puts communities at risk of large scale development.

Last October Sir Simon Jenkins, the Trust’s chairman, claimed that developers had mounted a “huge” lobbying campaign backed by the rich and powerful to alter radically planning laws in favour of development.

Sir Simon told MPs on a Commons committee that the "fingerprints" of rich builders were all over the reforms, which campaigners say will give developers carte blanche to build on large parts of rural England.

In September it emerged that an elite forum of property developers charged “key players in the industry” £2,500 a year to set up breakfasts, dinners and drinks with senior Conservatives. The club raises about £150,000 a year for the party.

Records show that ministers in charge of the new planning regulations met 28 times with figures from the property industry since coming to power and have only seen environmental groups 11 times.

The Daily Telegraph also disclosed that planning minister Greg Clark had privately urged property developers to lobby Prime Minister David Cameron amid concerns that his planning reforms would be blocked.

A leaked email showed that property developers privately admitted that the minister's objectives "align with ours" and said they had "earned more brownie points than we could ever imagine" by helping him.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “There is no question of individuals either influencing policy or gaining an unfair advantage by virtue of their financial contributions to the Conservative Party.

"Donors are motivated by a genuine desire to support the Conservative party and help it to win elections.”

Overall the Conservatives attracted almost £1 million more in donations than Labour. The Tories declared £3.2 million between October and December with the Opposition bringing in £2.3 million.

The Liberal Democrat total stood at just over £1 million, the Electoral Commission said. No other party received more than £150,000.

In total, political parties received £34.6 million from donors and £9.1 million in state funding during the course of 2011. They also owe £14.7 million in loans.

Electoral Commission analysis showed that £1.75million of the Labour income came from trade unions in the last quarter - with £649,092 from the GMB the biggest single donation.

Among cash flowing into Labour's coffers was £121,440 from property entrepreneur Andrew Rosenfeld - appointed as a senior Labour adviser by leader Ed Miliband last year - who has promised the party £1 million.

His role has come under fire because of his previous status as a tax exile and connection to the failure of the Allders department store business.

Conservative Party co-chairman Lady Warsi said accepting the money was at odds with Mr Miliband's fight against “predatory” capitalism. She added: “Unless he rejects Andrew Rosenfeld’s cash, Ed Miliband’s tough talk will simply be hypocritical posturing from a weak leader.”